So, you’ve decided to move to South Africa. First time visit? Fantastic. You’ll probably spend the first weeks walking around in safari gear with your wallet strapped to your balls, looking for wildlife. That’s ok, I get it. (Afterall, I’ve been through it – I moved here from the Netherlands.) Wherever you’re from, I’m sure […]

A wine critic for the Wall Street Journal has declared South African fine wine “the best bang for your buck” in the world. Critic Will Lyons said, when asked about non-branded wines, he wouldn’t hesitate to recommend South African wines, writing that “the one country that consistently offers outstanding value is South Africa.” (He said […]

South Africa finished the Tour de France (TDF) yesterday on a high. It has been an incredibly emotional and successful three weeks for Team MTN Qhubeka in this, their debut in the legendary cycling event. Team member – Edvald Boasson Hagen – sprinted to a brilliant fourth place on the Champs Elysees in Paris in the final stage […]

A baby rhino in a South African wildlife park seems to have sought out the “comfort” of cars after losing its mother in a phenomenon known as “imprinting”. Debbie English, who is in her fourth year of veterinary science at Onderstepoort, posted some touching photos this weekend of a little rhino calf who was stranded without its mother. “This little guy […]

Firefighters in Alberta, Canada, have expressed gratitude and awe for the South African firefighters who have joined them to help fight fires this season. The Alberta Wildfire facebook page posted a video of the South Africans’ morning chant, with a message saying: “Wildland firefighters from South Africa sure know how to start the work day off […]

My many years of living in Cape Town (from The Netherlands) have resulted in a large variety of interesting cultural integrations. In South Africa, I’ve learned to love biltong, understand all of Trevor Noah’s jokes, question statements by asking ‘is it?’ and when I encounter a difficulty at any establishment, I immediately ask for the […]

Well, that was a whistle-stop tour of the country. And yes, would have loved to have been able to take much more time doing it, revisiting every little fun thing I’ve seen over the years, but alas, time constraints and a couple of pre-teens (my twins, the Pixies) filled with ennui precluded that from happening… […]

South Africa’s beauty queen, and the planet’s current Miss World, Rolene Strauss, has announced her engagement to D’Niel Strauss, founder of Orientis Venture Capital. The couple – who already share the same surname – has been together for a few years. (Watch video below of them dancing the night away, back in 2012.) Yesterday Rolene subtly […]

South African DIY Goddess Suzelle DIY has some fantastic tips for how to make a loadshedding survival kit. You’ll find the tips both romantic…and ingenious. And of course, many of the products required to make this essential kit can be found at Checkers. (Suzelle recently starred in Checker’s latest TV commercial along with Nataniël.) Watch Video: […]

The mine dump at Krugersdorp in Gauteng is apparently the biggest man-made mine dump in the world. Certainly one of the biggest. And that means it’s perfect for…sandboarding! Check out the video footage below – from young kids (with sandy running noses) to adults racing, performing acrobatics on their boards…and getting ‘dumped’ in the dump. Richard […]

David Kibuuka, Late Night News (LNN) “reporter” and stand-up comedian, joins Trevor Noah at The Daily Show in the United States, as a writer, bringing some edgy Mzansi-style satire to the Comedy Central show’s next evolution. David Kibuuka is already a household name to most African comedy fans, having plied his particularly nuanced style of […]

South African photographer Arno Pietersen has captured an awesome sequence of photographs of a kudu jumping across the road in Kwaggaspan, in the Kruger National Park. Arno, who was working as Field Guide/Ranger for Place of Rock safari company, at the time of the sighting – on Monday, uploaded the three photos to Facebook yesterday […]

South Africa’s favourite DIY goddess, Suzelle, is very proudly featured in the latest Checkers TV commercial. “I finally made it!” says YouTube star Suzelle. “I am in the new Checkers TV ad with my new best friend Nataniël! I am so excited x” Afrikaans celebrity Nataniël (le Roux) is a singer, songwriter and entertainer who released his […]

J.M. Coetzee will receive an Honorary Doctorate from SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London for his achievements at the 2015 Graduation Ceremonies in London this week. The South African author is one of the world’s leading novelists and critics. Coetzee was the first author to win the Booker Prize twice – for […]

67 ordinary residents of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) – who do extraordinary things within their communities – were honoured by East Coast Radio over the weekend for living Madiba’s values every day. The 67 people, from across KZN, were nominated by radio listeners for the way in which they work tirelessly in the service of others, influences lives in […]

A fab picture of American rocker Steven Tyler during his trip to South Africa in December 2014 has been posted by the V&A Waterfront today. Some lucky fans (or children of fans!) posed for a photo with him at the Louis Vuitton store at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The Aerosmith frontman – with […]

Australian surfer Mick Fanning’s VERY close encounter with a shark during the J-Bay Open Finals at Jeffrey’s Bay yesterday thankfully ended happily – with both Mick and the shark escaping the incident safely (apart from that punch Mick threw!). It’s naturally spawned a bunch of jokes and memes (see below)…as well as compliments to Mick for his quick-thinking, […]

Trevor Noah, who has officially moved to New York in preparation for his new role as host of Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’, has revealed that his incredible international career is largely thanks to a couple of drunk friends. Speaking on the ‘Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’ in the USA on Friday night, Trevor said that becoming […]

It was an emotional win this afternoon for South Africa in the 14th stage of the prestigious Tour de France. MTN-Quebeka cyclist Steve Cummings (34) broke down in tears after winning the stage for the South African team today…Nelson Mandela Day. The former Team Sky rider told reporters afterwards that during the last few years he […]

Check out Super Sport’s new advert – “Our Hearts Are In It” – above or below. The message is clear – all South Africans around the world are united for the Rugby World Cup in the UK later this year. SuperSport will be broadcasting the event from  18 September to 31 October 2015. The video features ordinary South Africans, as […]

Mandela Day is an opportunity to reflect on how we help each other to get on in life. Educational institutions play an important role in this regard. As Madiba said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” As far as universities are concerned, this mainly occurs through the […]

Everybody’s heard of Africa’s “Big Five”…but not everybody identifies the animals that belong in that Big 5 group correctly. Ask around in your office. Most foreigners – even South Africans sometimes – will confidently trot out “rhino, elephant, lion…” and then they get stuck. Animals like hippo, cheetah, wildebeest, hyena and even giraffe and gorilla […]

On Tuesday morning I had a beautiful experience, an extended interaction with four otters on Scarborough beach! Elusive, in 15 years living in Scarborough I have only twice caught brief glimpses of single otters. This was a complete treat, a full romp of them in a mood to engage. They were extremely confident and inquisitive…it felt like they were […]

To celebrate Mandela Day tomorrow (18 July), the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Computing Science department has created an awesome video which highlights world events that occurred during the former South African President’s 27 years in prison (see below). Head of Department Professor Jean Greyling told SAPeople that “in celebration of Mandela Day, NMMU Computing Sciences put together […]

For a bunch of South Africans abroad, they’ve found a fantastic way to earn money, see the world…and have some fun. It’s like a fantasy. The Disney Fantasy. Sonnike Smit from Witbank, along with over 50 other South Africans, is working aboard the fourth ship in Disney’s Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Fantasy. “We travel […]